Motivation, Focus and Performance

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In today’s competitive market, ensuring that staff are performing to their maximum potential is essential to the success of the department and the company overall. But what can be done to ensure that all staff are motivated and strive to achieve their very best? Sales performance trainer Andy Preston looks at how to improve the […]

Competition Bites Team Spirit

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Almost half of all workers believe that competition amongst co-workers is responsible for destroying team spirit.Over a third of employees surveyed on behalf of Investors in People, the development standard claim they work with colleagues who are very or fairly competitive in the workplace whilst a quarter admitted that they actually find themselves competing with […]

Storming Ideas

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Banning the boss, inviting outsiders and water pistols – are all essential items for creating a storming ideas-generating session. Paul Sloane explains why. The brainstorm (or thought shower as some people now call it) is the most popular group creativity exercise in business. It is quick, easy and it works. But many organisations have become […]

Trainer’s Tip: Team Tactics and Sabotage

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Derek Hughes has come up with this team exercise that includes some underhand practices… Split into groups of six and give them a task to complete (eg build a bridge out of paper, card and paper-clips that can hold a cup of water).Distribute the resources randomly so groups have to barter with each other to […]

Teach Them to Achieve

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Setting goals is the easy part, helping staff believe and achieve them is where the work really starts. Annie Lawler looks at how to teach staff the ability to achieve. Poor communication contributes massively to underperformance and demotivation in any workforce, whilst clear and open communication has the opposite effect.One area which is often overlooked […]

Running a Motivational Session – 10 Steps to Success

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At some stage most managers need to conduct a motivational training session with his or her team. Bob Selden, who has been a manager and trainer for many years, sets out 10 helpful points to help them reach that goal. So, you’re a manager. So, you know you have to run a training session or […]

The Way I See It: Overcoming the Barriers to Collaboration

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Being miles apart, whether tens or thousands, is no longer a barrier to team working, thanks to new technologies, yet staff are often slow to grasp these opportunities. Kelly Low, sales director of Premiere Global Services, looks at collaborative technologies and their implications for training. According to new research from Frost and Sullivan1, collaboration is […]

Training Business News in Brief

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Helmsley Fraser Commits to TAPLearning provider Hemsley Fraser Group has announced a policy commitment to the TAP (Trainer Assessment Programme) Learning System, the training skills certification programme administered by The Training Foundation.Under the requirements of the TAP Partners Programme, Hemsley Fraser’s learning professionals will achieve TAP certification following participation in a skills refresher and assessment […]

Technology and the Team

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Being miles apart, whether tens or thousands, is no longer a barrier to team working thanks to technology, yet staff are often slow to grasp these opportunities. Kelly Low, sales director of Premiere Global Services, looks at collaborative technologies and their implications for training. According to new research from Frost and Sullivan1, collaboration is a […]

Trainer’s Tip: Arrest the Time Robbers

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This exercise, from TrainingZONE member Bryan Edwards, helps delegates address their time-wasters. I use a “time robbers” exercise that asks delegates to identify their time thieves, whether they are self-imposed (S.I.) or imposed by others (I.B.O.) and the reason for the time robber. It’s really important to identify the reason, so we get a solution […]

Opinion: Something Old, Something New – Successful Team Building

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With the ever-changing face of the ‘team’ today – project teams, matrix working, remote teams, cross functional working groups and virtual teams – the need for effective team building is without question. So, what’s new in team building? Well…everything and nothing. Steve Marriott of Kaizen Training reports on the latest team building innovations, reflecting on […]

The Way I See It … Something Old, Something New – Successful Team Building

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With the ever-changing face of the ‘team’ today – project teams, matrix working, remote teams, cross functional working groups and virtual teams – the need for effective team building is without question. So, what’s new in team building? Well…everything and nothing. Steve Marriott of Kaizen Training reports on the latest team building innovations, reflecting on […]

The Way I See It … Fun Ways To Achieve The Diversity Challenge

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Skye Mackie of Skills Boosters LIVE shares her tips on how to create a diversity course that is interactive, informative and fun. Designing courses that are interactive, informative and enjoyable is a key ingredient for all successful training initiatives. And there’s no reason why things should be any different when it comes to delivering the […]

The Way I See It … The Communications Pyramid

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Done badly, says Rich Lucas, Director and Training consultant of Supremacy training solutions, communications can fall apart; read on for his take on what constitutes the layers of the communications pyramid. Communication is easily one of the most important attributes of any manager.Done correctly it can motivate and empower staff, make working processes and workplace […]

What Happened Next? Fresh Ways To Motivate Staff. By Sarah Fletcher

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Finding activities to inspire unmotivated staff can prove difficult. In the next edition of this new series What happened next? we report on the results and lessons learned by a member who sought solace in the Any Answers forum. By Sarah Fletcher Motivating staff – anyone been to circus school?“I’m looking for ways to give […]

Feature: Managing Remote Teams

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Managing a remote team presents a clear challenge. While remote working often attracts independent types, there is a risk of isolation. Simon Hayward, CEO Academee takes a look at the issues and offers some advice. A remote team, where team members are geographically dispersed rather than located in one place, presents tremendous opportunities for flexibility, […]

Teamwork is Most Sought After Skill

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Interpersonal and teamwork skills are the most highly sought after, according to a survey of 4,500 employers.A report, by Job Centre Plus, found that regardless of occupation, whether unskilled or professional, teamworking and interpersonal skills were highly sought after by employers.Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus Lesley Strathie said that the research would help the organisation […]

Team Building Tops Training Poll

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Team building courses have been voted the best and most enjoyable in a survey of HR and training managers.Team building beat Neuro Linguistic Programming training (second), and management skills education courses (third). Train the trainer courses came fourth in the poll.Meanwhile Health and Safety courses were voted the worst or least enjoyable, ahead of finance […]

The Way I See It… Team Tactics

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Are your teams able to hit the ground running? Here Mark West sets out why they need to be ready and how to prepare them. We don’t belong to one team any more; we belong to many. Moreover some of those teams – project teams for example – may be short lived. We no longer […]

Trainer’s Tip: Conflict Resolution

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How do you prevent a difference in opinion becoming a full-scale conflict? Rich Lucas has some advice. I’m an approved self protection instructor, we deal with conflict resolution with an ABC methodA – Avoid conflict if possible, prevention is the best cure.B – Breathe deeply, don’t take it personally or get upset.C – Control your […]